Rabbles and rabble-arm for metallurgical furnaces.



U. WEDGE.

RABBLES AND RABBLE ARM FOB. METALLURGICAL FURNACES.

WITN EssEs gal/$211 113.

AIEPLIOATION FILED DBO. 27, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANDORAPH C0,,WAsHlNu'roN. D. c

Patented June 16, 1914.

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u. WEDGE.

RABBLBS AND RABBLE ARM FOR METALLURGICAL FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 2''], 1912. 1, 1 00,4 1 Patented June 16, 19m

7 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

BY HIS ATTORNEY IIIII/I/IIIII/ll/ I j INVENTOR UTLEY WEDGE- I///IIIIIIIIIIIIIII /II/IIIIIIII/lI/II A50 /6 0 COLUMBIA PLANOQIAP" CO"WASHINGTON, D. C.

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UTLEY WEDGE, .OF ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA.

RABBLES AND RABBLE-ARM FOR METALLURGICAL FURNACES, I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, UTLEY WEDGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ardmore, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements inRabbles and Rabble-Arms for Metallurgical Furnaces, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of metallurgical furnaces which haverabble arms for stirring or feeding the material deposited upon thehearth or hearths of the furnace.

Heretofore different means have been employed for cooling the rabblearms by circulating water or other cooling fluid through passages in thearms, but, so far as I know, no attempts have been made to cool therabbles themselves, and such cooling of the rabbles thereforeconstitutes the purpose of my present invention.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure l is a view, partly in top or planview and partly in horizontal section, of a rabble arm illustrating onemeans in accordance with my invention for cooling the rabbles; Fig. 2 isa longitudinal section on the line wa, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view, partlyin end elevation and partly in section, on the line 6-6, Fig. 1; Figs. 4and 5 are longitudinal vertical sections of the inner portions of rabblearms showing modified means for conveying the cooling fluid to and fromthe arm; Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 0-0, Fig. 4, andFig. 7 is a horizontal section of another type of rabble arm embodyingmy invention.

Referring in the first instance to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, 1represents a rabble arm which is secured at its inner end to'a ring 2mounted upon any available support, as, for instance, upon the centralrotating shaft 3 of a cylindrical furnace of the type which is providedwith such shaft. The blades or rabbles t are cast or otherwise formedintegrally with the rabble arm, from which they depend and upon whichthey are disposed at an angle to the longitudinal line of the rabblearm, so that, as the latter rotates with the shaft 3, or is otherwisemoved over the hearth upon which the material is deposited, suchmaterial will be stirred by the rabbles and will be moved over thehearth because of the inclination of the rabbles in respect to theirline of travel. On the back of the rabble arm, and also formed integraltherewith, are a series of helically Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 27, 1912.

Patented June 16, 1914. Serial No. 738,854.

disposed ribs 5 each extending from one end of one rabble to theopposite end of the adjoining rabble, as shown in Fig. 1. Both therabblest and the ribs 5 are hollow and communicate with each other, sothat continuous passage is provided from the rabble at the outer end ofthe arm to the rabble at the inner end of the same. The rabble arm 1 isalso hollow and communicates at its outer end through a passage 6 withone end of the outermost rabble 4, as shown in Fig. 3, the opposite endof said outermost rabble communicating through the first rib 5 with thenext adjoining rabble which communicates through the second rib 5 withthe third rabble, and so on throughout the series. The hollow rabble armhas, at itsinner end, two passages 7 and 8, the passage 7 communicatingwith the hollow arm and the passage 8 communicating with the innermostrabble 4:, as shown in Fig. 1. The inner ends of the passages 7 and 8are closed by a plate 9 secured to the inner end of the rabble arm, asshown in Fig. 2, and this plate carries two pipes 10 and 11, one forsupplying cooling fluid to the passage 7 and the other for dischargingsaid fiuid from the passage 8 after it has circulated through the rabblearm and rabbles, or the direction of flow may be the reverse of this, ifdesired. By this means there is a constant circulation of the coolingagent through the rabbles as well as through the rabble. arm and thehollow ribs on the back of the same, consequently the rabbles as well asthe rabble arm will be cooled and the rapid destruction or impairment ofthe rabbles by the heat of the furnace will be prevented'and thefrequent replacement of aid rabbles therefore rendered unnecessary. Thecooled rabbles also serve to prevent overheating of the material actedupon, thereby overcoming an objection sometimes encountered in treatingmaterial which is unfavorably affected by an excess of heat, and saidcooled rabbles may also be used for cooling the material in one or moreof the treating chambers of the furnace, after it has been heated in thepreceding chambers.

In the constructions shown in Figs. i and 5 the passages within therabbles 4 and ribs 5 extend inwardly to the central opening of therabble arm but the inner ends of these passages, except as hereinafternoted, are closed by a pipe 12, which fills the central opening of thearm. Said pipe 12 should extend through the arm from the inner end ofthe same to a point just short of the en trance to the outermost rabble,so as not to close the passages contained in the latter. The pipe 10communicates at the inner end of the arm with the pipe 12 and the pipe11 communicates with the inner end of a passage 13 formed in the rabblearm at a point above the pipe 12, such passage 13 communicating at itsinner end with the innermost rib 5 of the arm, as shown in Fig. 4. Therabble arm shown in Fig. 5 is similar to that shown in Fig. 4 so far asregards the use of the pipe 12 for closing the inner end of the passagesin the rabbles 4 and ribs 5 but said pipe 12 stops short of the innerend of the rabble arm, the latter being provided wit-h passages 7 and 8similar to those of the rabble arm shown in Fig. 1, the passage '7communicating with the pipe 12 and the passages 8 with the innermost rib5 of the rabble arm.

In the rabble arms shown in Fig. 7 the back ribs on the arm aredispensed with and the hollow rabbles communicate with one anotherthrough chambers or passages formed in the hollow rabble arm itself. Inthe construction shown in Fig. 7 the hollow rabblearm is provided with acentral partition 14 and a series of transverse partitions 15 extendingfrom said central partition to the front or back wall of the arm so asto divide the hollow arm into a series of chambers which I have numbered16, 16 16 16 etc., the passage 7 of the arm communicating with thechamber 16 at the inner end of the arm, and the chamber 16 at the outerend of the arm, communicating, through a pipe 17, or other availablereturn conduit, with the passage 8 at the inner end of the arm. Thechamber 16 communicates with one end of the innermost rabble 4 whoseopposite end communicates with the chamber 16 and the latter alsocommunicates with one end of the next outer rabble 4 whose opposite endcommunicates with the chamber 16 the next outer rabble connecting thechambers 16 and 16, the next outer rabble connecting the chambers 16 and16", and so on to the end of the series, the outermost rabbledischarging into the chamber 16 whence the cooling agent is returnedthrough the conduit 17 to the passage 8.

I claim:

1. The combination of a rabble arm having a series of projecting rabblesthereon, means providing communication from rabble to rabble of theseries, and means for supplyingwater to the rabble at one end of theseries and discharging it from the rabble at the other end of theseries.

2. The combination of a hollow rabble arm, a series of connected rabblesprojecting therefrom and in communication therewith at one end of thearm, means for discharging water from the rabble at the opposite end ofthe arm, means for supplying water to said rabble arm at the same endfrom which the water is discharged from said rabble, whereby said wateris first caused to circulate through the arm in one direction and thenthrough the series of rabbles in the opposite direction.

3. A rabble arm having a series of chambered rabbles projecting from theunder side of the same and a series of chambered ribs extending fromrabble to rabble of the series and crossing over the back of the rabblearm.

4. The combination of the hollow rabble arm, a series of chamberedrabbles projecting from the under side of said arm, a series ofchambered ribs extending from rabble to rabble of the series andcrossing over the back of the arm, a communication between the endrabble of the series and one end of the hollow arm, and means fordischarging water from the opposite end rabble at the other end of thearm.

5. The combination of a hollow 'abble arm, a series of chambered rabblesdisposed on the under side of the same, a series of chambered ribsdisposed over the back of the arm and serving to connect one end of onerabble to the opposite end of the adjoining rabble throughout theseries, means for conveying water from the hollow arm to the rabble atone end of the series, and means for discharging water from the rahbleat the other end of the series.

(3. A rabble arm having chambered rabbles, and chambered ribs eachconnecting an end of one rabble to an end of the adjoining rabble, andmeans for circulating a cooling fluid through said rabbles and ribs fromend to end of the series.

7. A rabble arm having chambered rabbles thereon, and chambered ribseach connecting one end of one rabble to the opposite end of theadjoining rabble, and means for circulating a cooling fluid through saidrabbles and ribs.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

UTLEY \VEDGE. lVitnesses KATE A. BEADLE, HAMILTON D. TURNER.

Quotes of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

